Chenille yarns



l. D. EASTON CHENILLE YARNS May 4, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. l, 1951 A TTRNEY FIG. 2.

N m S M w m G. w

ixiii" 23 Z4 mi.;

Z5 Z5 Z7 g2, 29 33d.

May 4, 1954 l. D. EASTON CHENILLE YARNS Filed Dec. l 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5.

FIG. 4.

FIG. 7.

FIG. 6.

INVENTOR. ...4a [RWA/G AvID E'AsmN AT'RNE'Y l l I Patented May 4, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHENILLE YARNS Irving David Easton, Mamaroneck, N. Y.

Application December 1, 1951, Serial No. 259,437

Claims.

This invention relates to a chenille yarn, pile yarn, or the like, and more particularly to a chenille yarn or pile yarn construction wherein the chenille or the pile is formed in loops and is held in an upstanding position in a casing or holder made of coarsely Woven or perforated textile material, or an adhesive tape of plastic -material or the like, suitably stifened in the oplreadily manipulated to form a floor covering material, carpet, rug, or the like.

Another object is a pliable chenille yarn or pile yarn which can be quickly and readily bonded to a cheap base fabric by means of a cementitious composition in the operation of forming a floor covering material.

Other objects will appear from the detailed description which follows.

A more complete understanding of the invention will follow from a detailed description of the illustrative embodiments contained in the accompanying drawings wherein,

Fig. l is an elevation of a fragment of one form oi' my improved chenille yarn or pile yarn construction.

l Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View taken along the j-line Z-' of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the other modified form of my invention; and

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of a fragment 3 taken along the line 8--8 of Fig. '7 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The chenille yarn or pileyarn includes the casing or holder 2l which preferably consists of a nat ribbon or tape made of either a perforated or a coarsely woven or gauze like textile material, or an adhesive tape made of a plastic or thermo-plastic composition. rihe tape is folded along its longitudinal axis to form a casing or trough shaped channel, and if a textile material is used it may be suitably stiiiened to retain its channeled form. The channel in the casing 2| may be either semi-elliptical (U- shaped), or V-shaped in cross section.

A series of pile elements 22--22, each element containing one or more yarns or threads which are looped at the middle at 2l, to form tufts having their opposite ends 23 and 24 free, are arranged one behind the other in edge to edge abutment to form a row of looped pile yarns or pile tufts whose loops 2l are pressed against the bottom wall of the channel of the casing 2l and are bonded to the bottom wall of the channel of the casing 2l by an elastic bonding agent 25 which may comprise any suitable elastic cementitious material. The cementitious material 2E may be an elastic water-repellent glue or a curable latex or a vulcanizable rubber cement or a plasticizable composition such as cellulose acetate or a thermoplastic composition such as vinyl plastic, e. g., vinyl chloride, or any such other suitable adhesive which is elastic when hardened and set or when cured or vulcanized and will not soften or become tacky when subjected to changes in climatic conditions or to the action of Water or moisture or to the conditions as normally occur in using a loor covering.

A stuiier or spacer 25 may be inserted between the free ends 23 and Ell of the pile elements 22, and the stuffer or spacer 25 is drawn or pressed downwardly between the free ends i3 and 2t of the pile elements 22 and against the bights or loops 2l, so as to compress and compact the loops 2l of the pile elements 22 against the bottom of the trough-shaped holder 2| and so as to position the spacer 25 below the upper edges of the casing.

The lower half of the face of the stuffer 25 is coated with a layer of an elastic bonding agent 28 identical with, or having the same characteristics as, the cementitious material 26. 1t may be a plastic composition such as cellulose acetate, or a thermo-plastic of the vinyl group such as vinyl chloride, or a curable latex, or a vulcanizable rubber composition, or an elastic glue, or a cement or other adhesive, which is elastic when hardened and set and which is thereafter substantially impervious to the action of water or moisture, and will not soften or become tac-ky under changes in climatic conditions, so that the stiffened casing 2|, stuffer or spacer 25, and the elastic bonding agents 26 and 28 in conjunction, support and retain the free ends 23 and 24 of the pile elements 22-22 compacted and upstanding in an erect position (see Fig. l). The bonding agents 26 and/or 28 ll the perforations in the tape or the interstices in the coarsely woven textile material of which the casing or holder 2| is composed and penetrate the loops 21 of the pile elements 22 and fill the spaces between adjoining loops, thus stiifening the textile material so as to enable the casing 2i to retain its channelled form and to maintain said stiffened casing 2| erect and in an upstanding position, and causing the stuifer'or spacer 25 which is coated upon its under face with the bonding agent 28 to co-act with the loops 21 in the pile elements 22 and with the stiffened casing or holder 2| to bond the loops 21 of the pile elements 22 to the bottom of the channel of the casing or holder 2|, after the bonding agents v26 and 28 have hardened and set. The bonding agents 26 and 23 also bond adjoining loops or bights 21 together to produce a laminated yarn.

Fig. 3 illustrates how a series of the yarns 26 of Fig. 1 may be arranged side by side in the form of warp threads supplied in any suitable manner as by a creel or by a warp beam (not shown), and superimposed upon a suitable base or backing 33 composed of any inexpensive material which is suiiiciently exible to permit it to be rolled up, such as felt, burlap, compressed ber, or the like, to which the yarns 23 are bonded by means of a suitable elastic bonding agent or cementitious composition 33 which is either interposed between the casings or holders 2| and the surface of the base material 32, or which may be applied to the bottom of the casings 2| and then allowed to harden and set as by curing, to form a molded base or backing. The bonding agent 33 may be a curable latex or a vulcanizable rubber cement, a plastic composition such as cellulose aectate, a thermo-plastic such as vinyl chloride, or a glue or any other suitable adhesive which is elastic when hardened and set and will not soften or become tacky when exposed to the action of water or moisture or to changes in climatic conditions.

In some instances it may be desirable to introduce ller yarns 49 in the spaces between the yarns 20 so as to insure a compact construction, and to introduce a bonding agent 33 around the said ller yarns and between the chenille yarns 20 and said ller yarns 49 (see Fig. 3), so that when the chenille yarns 20, filler yarns 49, backing 30 and the bonding agent 33 are pressed together in any suitable manner while the bont.- ing agent is in a plastic condition, the cementitious material 3S wil flow into and ll the spaces between the surfaces of the abutting edges of the yarns '2U-29 and/or between the yarns 26 and their abutting ller yarns 49, and the bonding agent will be distributed evenly over the surface of the backing 30, so that when the cementitious material 33 hardens and sets the several corr.-

ponents will form a compact unitary structure with the free ends 23, 24 of the pile element-s 22 forming an upstanding pile, substantially as shown in Fig. 3a. When the floor covering material is compressed the spacers 25 and the ller yarns 43 tend to become distorted and attened, and assume an elliptical cross section substan tially as shown in Fig. 3a.

In some instances it may be advantageous to interpose a sheet 29 of an inexpensive adhesive 'receptive material between the cement coated plasticizer.

yarns 20-20, or 20-4'9-20, and the base 30. When so constructed a second layer 33a of an elastic bonding agent or cementitious material 33, is interposed between the sheet 29 and the base material 30, or the cementitious material 33 may be applied to both faces of the sheet 29 and the yarns 2li- 20, or 29-49-20, as the case may be, and the base 39, pressed against the coated sheet 29 while the cementitious material 33 is in a plastic condition, and the various elements may be retained under pressure until the cementitious material has hardened and set, when the pile portion of the oor covering material will assume a form substantially as shown in Fig. 3a, wherein the yarns 20 and 49 are thoroughly bonded to the base 30.

VThe undersurface of the base 39 may be provided with a flexible coating 3| comprising a :suitable water impervious composition such as a curable latex, or a vulcanized rubber cement, or 1a plastic, or a thermo-plastic, to protect the underface of the base 30, prolong its useful life Skidding may likewise be reduced by forming webs or cross-ribs 32 at suit- When a vinyl plastic such as vinyl chloride is selected as the cementitious composition 33, it

may be applied thickly enough to omit the brous backing and the intermediate sheet 29, and the iiller yarns 49 may also be omitted, so that when the vinyl plastic is cured the cementitious material 28, 21 and 33 are fused together and become homogeneous.

Fig. 4 shows a cross section of a chenille yarn 49 wherein the stuffer yarn or spacer cord 4| is normally encased in a suitable adhesive coating 42 which will be plasticized when heated or when subjected to the action of the appropriate Coating 42 may be composed of a exible plastic composition such as cellulose acetate, or it may be a thermo-plastic such as vinyl chloride, which will not crack, flake or peel when the cord 4| is flexed or bent. The ad- 'hesive 43 which is interposed between the loops 21 and the textile material 46 may be a coating of the same plastic or thermo-plastic composition which is employed for the coating 42. Both coatings when set are impervious to the action of water or moisture. When the coatings 42 and 43 are plasticized and the yarn 22 is suitably compressed the adhesives 42 and 43 impregnate the spacer yarn 4|, the loops 21, and the ribbon or tape of loosely woven textile material 46 (Fig. 4) to a depth sufficient to produce, when allowed to harden and set, a yarn having a stiifcned self-supporting channelled casing or holder 46a which holds and supports the pile elements 22 in an upstanding position substantially as shown in cross section in Fig. 5. Other materials such 'as a composition containing rubber, which can be cured or vulcanized may be utilized for the adhesive coatings 42 and 43.

In the modication shown in cross section in 'Figs 6 and 7, the chenille yarn 44 may be pro- Asame plastic composition as the filament 45, so

that when the yarn is subjected to suitable pressure or heat, or is subjected to the action of the appropriate plastcizer, the spacer 45 and the plastic coating 41 are plasticized and penetrate the loops 21 of the pile elements 22 and flow into the spaces between the loops 21 and into the openings in the textile material 4B so that when the plastic compositions are allowed to harden and set a compact unitary structure 4S (Fig. 1) results, wherein both the loops 21 of the pile elements 22, and the fibers of the textile material t6, are sufficiently impregnated to form a unitary structure which is sufciently flexible to permit winding as on a beam, but wherein the loops 21 and the textile material 46 are stili enough to support the free ends 23 and 24 of the pile elements 22 erect and in an upstanding position, substantially as shown in Figs. '1 and 8.

Each of the yarns 2li (Figs. 1 and 2), 40 (Fig. 5), and M (Figs. 7 and 8), is sufficiently ilexible so that it may be readily wound up with other similar yarns to forni a warp beam (not shown), which warp beam may subsequently be used in the operation of constructing a laminated rug similar in general to the laminated rug structure illustratedL in Fig. 3.

The chenille yarns may also be made by replacing the casing it (Fig. 4) with two narrow strips of adhesive tape and attaching said tapes to the pile elements equidistant from, and on opposite sides of, the transverse median line of each pile element 22, then folding the adjoined pile elements 2?., 22 to form U-shaped loops, and inserting the adhesive coated stuler lll in the bends of the loops midway between the strips oi adhesive tape, to retain the loop formations 21, 21 in the pile elements 22, 22, then plasticizing the coating l2 to impregnate the threads of the pile elements 22, 22 and fill up the spaces between adjacent pile elements, and then allowing the coating 42 to harden and set and thus permanently retain the loop formations 21, 21 in the tufted pile elements 22, 22 and secure the tufted pile elements together to form a continuous pliable yarn.

The surface of the backing 3i) may be luted lengthwise to form a series of U-shaped or V- shaped channels deep enough and wide enough to receive the casings or holders 2| of the chenille yarns 29, said channels being arranged in spaced relation and extending parallel to the running edge of the backing 3d to contain the chenille yarns 20, als or is, and present the free ends 23, 24 of the pile elements 22 as a continuous p ile surface. Any suitable cementitious composition may be applied to the channels of the fluted sur" face and to the outer face of the holders 2i of the chenille yarns 2.5i, lil and lift, provided said cementitious composition is tacky enough when in a plastic condition to secure the outer face of each of the casings iii in the channels of the fluted base, so that when the cernentitious composition is allowed to harden and set, or is cured, or vulcanized, as the nature of the particular cementitious composition employed may require, the chenille yarns 2li, t@ or lll will be permanent ly bonded in the channels in the backing 3d, and the bond will not be deleteriously aiected by the action of water or moisture.

The sheeting (Figs. 3 3a) may consist of any cheap pliable adhesive-receptive material such as paper, or it may be a coarsely or loosely woven textile material, such as cheese cloth, tobacco cloth, bnrlap. saoking, or the like. In better grade iicor coverings, the base or backing lill may be of canvas or duck. While the casing 46 (Figs. 4 and 6) is shown as a tape made of a coarsely woven textile material, it should be understood that a plastic tape may be substituted for the textile tape 46, and that when plasticized said plastic tape penetrates the loops or bights 2l and stiiens the said loops 2l to render the pile elements 22 upstanding and self-supporting.

Each chenille yarn 2li (Figs. 2) it (Fig. 5), and IM (Fig. 7) is exible so that it may be folded over or wound as on a spool, but is also upstanding and selfnsupporting, and the free ends 23 and 2:1 of the pile elements 22 will normally assume an erect position.

Other modifications of my invention will, in the light of the disclosure or this specication, suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

l. ln a chenille yarn and in combination a tape folded double along its lengthwise median line to form a. casing having a substantially U shaped channel, a cementitious composition covering the wall of said channel, a series of looped threads deining pile elements, the loops of said pile elements being positioned in said casing with their front and bach edges in end to end abutment and with the loops of the pile elements embedded in said cementitious conv position, the free ends or the pile elements projecting beyond the upper edge of the casing to partially forro a tufted pile yarn, a stufier overlying the looped pile elements, a cementitious composition disposed between said stnffer and said pile elements and adhering to the stuier and to the inner looped portions of the pile, said stuier coacting with said casing to compress and hold the loops of the pile elements against the bottoni of said U-shaped channel and said cernentitious compositions filling the spaces between the loops of abutting pile elements and the interstices between the threads of the pile and permanently adhering to said pile elements and the 'threads thereof to complete a continuous pliable tufted pile yarn.

2. In a chenille yarn and in combination a tape folded lengthwise along its median line to form a channelled casing, a cementitious composition covering the wall or" the channel of said casing, a series of looped threads defining pile elements, the bights of the loops of said pile elements being positioned in said casing with the iront edge of each bight abutting the back edge of the adjacent bight, the bights of the loops oi the said pile elements adhering to said cernentitious composition, the free ends oi the pile elements pro- Kiecting above the channelled casing to partially form a tufted pile yarn, a stuiler overlying the bights of the looped pile elements, a cementitious composition disposed between said stuiler and said. bights and adhering to the stuiier and to the inner faces of the bights i the looped portions oi the pile, said Studer co-acting with said casing to compress and hold the bights of the loops oi the pile elements against wall of the channel of the casing, and said cementitious compositions loccupying the spaces between the bights of the abutting loops and the interstices between the threads of the loops and permanently adher ing to said loops and to the threads thereof to forni a pliable tufted pile yarn.

3. 1n a chenille yarn and in combination a tape folded lengthwise along its median line 'form a two-ply channelled casing, a cementitious cornposition covering the wall of the channel of said casing, a series of looped threads positioned in said casing with the bights or the loops abutting each other and adhering to the wall of the channel of said casing, the free ends of the loops projecting beyond the channel of the casing to form the pile elements of a tufted pile yarn, a stuffer overlying the bights of the loops of the pile elements, said stufler comprising a cementitious composition overlying the bights of the loops of said pile elements and adhering to the inner face of the bight of the loops of the pile elements, said stuffer co-acting with said casing to compress and hold the bights of the loops of the pile elements against the bottom of the channel of the casing and said cementitious compositions occupying the spaces between the bights of the abutting loops and the interstices between the threads of the loops and permanently adhering to said loops and to the threads thereof to form a pliable tufted pile yarn.

4. In a chenille yarn and in combination a tape made of a coarsely Woven textile material, said tape being folded lengthwise along its median line to form a two-ply casing with a channel therebetween, a cementitious composition covering the casing and stiffening the walls of the channel, a series of looped threads posititoned in said casing with the bights of the loops abutting each other and attached to the wall of the casing by said cementitious composition, said cementitious composition serving to stillen the bghts of the loops so that the free ends of the loops project in an upstanding self-supporting position above the channel of the casing and form the pile elements of a tufted pile yarn, a stuffer extending through the bights of the loops of the pile elements, said stuiler including a. cementitious composition overlying and adhering to the inner face of the 'bights of the loops of the pile elements, said stuifer and said casing coaoting to hold the bights of the loops of the pile elements against the bottoni of the channel of the casing, and said ceroentitious compositions filling the spaces between the bights of abutting loops and the interstices between the threads of the loops and permanently adhering to said loops and to the threads thereof to form an upstanding selfsupporting pliable tufted chenille yarn.

5. In a chenille yarn and in combination a tape composed of a plasticizable cementitious composition, said tape being folded lengthwise along its median line to form a two-ply casing with a U- shaped channel positioned between said plies, a series of looped threads positioned in the U- shaped channel of said casing with the bights of the loops abutting each other and adhering to the plastic tape to stiien the bights of the loops so that the free ends of the looped threads project in an upstanding self-supporting position above the U-shaped channel to form the tuft elements of a yarn, a stulfer running through the bights of the looped threads, said stuifer including a plasticizable oementitious composition overlying and adhering to the inner faces of the loops of the pile elements, said stuifer and said casing coacting to hold the bights of the loops of the pile elements against the bottom of the U-shaped channel, and said plasticizable cementitious compositions filling the spaces between the bights of the abutting loops and the interstices between the threads of the loops and permanently adhering to said loops and to the threads thereof to form an upstanding self-supporting pliable tufted chenille yarn.

6. In a floor covering and in combination, a series of chenille yarns arranged in parallel and side by side to constitute the warp threads of the door covering, each of said yarns comprising, a

Vlength of tape folded lengthwise along its median line to form a channelled casing, a series of looped threads positioned in said casings with the bights of the loops in each channel in edge to edge abutment, the free ends of the looped threads projecting above the wall of the casing, a cementitious composition interposed in the spaces between the edge faces of the abutting looped threads and between the looped threads and the casing wall and penetrating the intel'- stices between the threads in the region of the bights of the loops to reinforce the projecting free ends of the threads and render them upstanding and self-supporting, a coating of a cementitious composition applied to the exposed underside of said parallel disposed yarns and a sheet of pliable adhesive receptive material embedded in said cementitious coating.

7. In a chenille yarn and in combination a tape made of a coarsely woven textile material, said tape being folded lengthwise along its median line to form a two-ply casing with a channel therebetween, a rubber composition covering the casing and stiflening the walls of the channel, a series of looped threads positioned in said casing with the bights of the loops abutting each other and attached to the wall of the casing by said rubber composition, said rubber composition also serving to stiifen the bights of the loops so that the free ends of the loops project in an opstanding self-supporting position above the channel of the casing and form the pile elements of a chenille yarn, a stuffer extending through the bights of the loops of the pile elements, said stuffer including a rubber composition overlying and adhering to the inner face of the bights of the loops of the pile elements, said stuffer and said casing coacting to hold the bights of the loops of the pile elements against the bottom of the channel of the casing, and said rubber compositions lling the Spaces between the bights of abutting loops and the interstices between the threads of the loops and permanently adhering to said loops and to the threads thereof to form a succession of upstanding self-supportingr tufts and a pliable chenille yarn.

8. In a floor covering and in combination, a series of chenille yarns arranged lengthwise in parallel and side by side to constitute the warplike threads of the floor covering, each of said yarns comprising, a length of tape folded lengthwise along its median line to form a channelled casing, a series of looped threads positioned in said casings with the bights of the loops in each channel in edge to edge abutment, the free ends of the looped threads projecting above the wall of the casing, a cementitious composition interposed in the spaces between the edge faces of the abutting looped threads and between the looped threads and the casing wall and penetrating the interstices between the threads in the region of the bights of the loops to reinforce theI projecting free ends of the threads and render them upstanding and self-supporting, a coating of a cementitious composition applied to the exposed underside of said warp-like threads, and a sheet of pliable adhesive receptive material embedded in said cementitious coating.

9. In a floor covering and in combination, a series of chenille yarns arranged lengthwise in parallel and side by side to constitute the Warplike threads of the floor covering, each of said yarns comprising, a length of tape folded lengthwise along its median line to form a channelled casing, a series of looped threads positioned in said oasings With the bigl'its of the loops in each channel in edge to edge abutment, the free ends of the looped threads projeeting above the wall of the easing, a cured latex composition interposed in the spaces between the edge fases of the abutting looped threads and between the looped threads and the casing Wall and penetrating the interstiees between the threads in the region of the bights of the loops to einforee the projecting free ends of the threads and render them upstanding and self-supporting, a coating of a cured latex composition applied to the exposed underside of warp-like threads, and a sheet of pliable adhesive receptive material embedded in said laten7 coating.

1G. 1n a :door covering and in combination, series oi Chenille yarns arranged lengthwise in parallel and side by side to constitute the Warpe like threads of the floor Covering, each of said yarns comprising, a length of tape folded lengthwise along its median line to forni a channelled casing, a series of looped threads positioned in said oasings With the bights of the loops in each channel in edge to edge abutment, the free ends of the looped threads projecting above the Wall References @ited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,907,492 Brewster May 9, 1933 2,294,480 Rohweder et al Sept. 1, 1942 2,521,831 Cone et al Sept. 12, 1950 2,583,130 Lemon et al, Mar. 4, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 506,199 Germany June 19, 1936 907,916 France July 30, 1945 

9. IN A FLOOR COVERING AND IN COMBINATION, A SERIES OF CHENILLE YARNS ARRANGED LENGTHWISE IN PARALLEL AND SIDE BY SIDE TO CONSTITUTE THE WARPLIKE THREADS OF THE FLOOR COVERING, EACH OF SAID YARNS COMPRISING, A LENGTH OF TAPE FOLDED LENGTHWISE ALONG ITS MEDIAN LINE TO FORM A CHANNELLED CASING, A SERIES OF LOOPED THREADS POSITIONED IN SAID CASINGS WITH THE BIGHTS OF THE LOOPS IN EACH CHANNEL IN EDGE TO EDGE ABUTMENT, THE FREE ENDS OF THE LOOPED THREADS PROJECTING ABOVE THE WALL OF THE CASING, A CURED LATEX COMPOSITION INTERPOSED IN THE SPACES BETWEN THE EDGE FACES OF THE ABUTTING LOOPED THREADS AND BETWEEN THE LOOPED THREADS AND THE CASING WALL AND PENETRATING THE INTERSTICES BETWEEN THE THREADS IN THE REGION OF THE BIGHTS OF THE LOOPS TO REINFORCE THE PROJECTING FREE ENDS OF THE THREADS AND RENDER THEM UPSTANDING AND SELF-SUPPORTING, A COATING OF A CURED LATEX COMPOSITION APPLIED TO THE EXPOSED UNDERSIDE OF SAID WARP-LIKE THREADS, AND A SHEET OF PLIABLE ADHESIVE RECEPTIVE MATERIAL EMBEDDED IN SAID LATEX COATING. 